Story By: Roksana Panashchuk, Sub-Editor: Joseph Golder, Agency: Central European News

Video Credit: CEN

The heavyset prankster who lifted a short police officer up off the ground and carried him off in his arms has been fined for the joke.

Twenty-seven-year-old prankster Islam Malekov was fined 20,000 RUB (237 GBP) for assaulting the police officer by the Meshansky District Court of Moscow in the Russian capital.

Malekov said commenting on the fine: “I am okay with the sentence.”

The victim, police officer Aleksandr Matveev, wants a more severe punishment for Malekov and was not satisfied with the court’s decision.

He said: “He [Malekov] apologised later but it was insincere.

“I was not harmed physically but morally after they posted the video online.”

Picture Credits: CEN/VK

Matveev’s lawyer Yuriy Sergeychik is going to lodge an appeal.

He said: “We are going to get the decision reversed even if we have to appeal to the European Court!”

During the hearing Islam Malekov pleaded not guilty and said that he mistook the undersized cop for an acquaintance.

The incident, which was caught on camera by an eyewitness, happened in Moscow in May this year.

Picture Credits: CEN

The clip shows three police officers standing together at the Sukharevskaya Metro station as Malekov sneaks up behind them.

The bearded joker, who is wearing shorts, T-shirt and a baseball cap, puts his arms around the shortest of the cops, picks him up and walks off with him.

Malekov can be seen grinning broadly as he carries off the startled police officer who angrily demands that he be put back on the ground.

His colleagues chase after Malekov, who puts the cop down as soon as they grab him by the arms.